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DIRECTIVE No.199-TTg OF APRIL 3, 1997 ON URGENT MEASURES TO MANAGE SOLID WASTE IN URBAN AREAS AND INDUSTRIAL ZONES

Over the recent years, together with the socio-economic development of the country, the production, business and service activities in urban areas and industrial zones have been rapidly expanded and developed, thus on one hand actively contributing to the national development, but on the other hand discharging a large volume of solid waste including home waste, industrial waste and hospital waste. The indiscriminate discharge of waste in urban areas and industrial zones is the main cause of the environmental pollution and various diseases, thus adversely affecting people�s health and life.

The danger of environmental pollution caused by waste is becoming a question of great urgency for almost all cities throughout the country, while the management of solid waste in urban areas and industrial zones (hereinafter referred to as the waste) is extremely poor as manifest in the following aspects:

- At present, only a half of the total waste volume throughout the country is collected.

- Most provinces and cities have so far had no plan for waste treatment; the waste burying sites are not up to the environmental hygiene standards.

- Waste has not yet been classified; noxious waste matters and home waste are gathered and buried in the same place.

- There have been no technological solutions and proper equipment for treating noxious waste discharged from enterprises and hospitals.

To overcome such situation, the Prime Minister instructs the ministries, branches, the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government to well perform the following tasks:

1. The ministries, branches and localities having the function to manage waste shall have to review their responsibilities in directing the management and working out programs and practical measures for the waste management and keeping the urban environment clean. In the immediate future, efforts should be concentrated on settling the following issues:

a) Management of the waste discharge, collection and transport:

- To restrict then proceed to prohibit the production, business and service establishments and hospitals...as well as households from discharging their waste to rivers, lakes or streets. To tightly control the waste discharge and transport so as to ensure that they are done in accordance with regulations on environmental hygiene. All violations shall be handled in accordance with the Law on Environment Protection and other relevant regulations of Vietnam.

- To promptly and thoroughly collect waste, classify waste at its very sources so as to facilitate its reuse, recycling and destruction. To encourage the application of new technologies in waste collection, transport and treatment. To encourage private organizations engaged in the collection, transport and disposal of waste.

- To mobilize people to practice the hygienic and civilized way of living, to abolish bad habits of indiscriminately throwing away rubbish and waste matters...in urban areas; to abide by specific regulations on environmental hygiene in urban areas.

b) Management of the waste treatment and destruction:

- To proceed with the planning on the construction of waste burying sites up to the environmental hygiene standards and meeting the local requirement for waste burial.

- To apply proper technologies in treating and destroying waste in conformity with the environment standards, first of all the noxious industrial waste and hospital waste, so as to ensure that the environment is not polluted and the human health is not adversely affected.

- To take measures to deal with the environmental pollution caused by the old waste burying sites.

2. Organization of implementation:

a) The Ministry of Construction shall direct the inspection and supervision of the drawing up and implementation of the urban planning and development of localities under the environment protection standards, issue guiding documents, draw up plans for the arrangement of sites for burying solid waste in urban areas and industrial zones.

b) The Ministry of Industry shall direct, inspect, supervise and take measures so that the production, business and service establishments shall strictly comply with regulations on the management of industrial waste, shall have to acquire means and sign contracts with waste disposal units for rationally disposing the volume of waste from their production; make an inventory and evaluation of various kinds of industrial waste, especially noxious waste.

c) The Ministry of Health shall intensify the inspection and supervision and take measures to force hospitals, medical stations and medical service establishments to strictly comply with regulations on the management of hospital waste. Special attention must be paid to the disposal of waste which may cause harm to the human health such as diseased objects, bandages and gauzes, injection needles, etc.

d) The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall base themselves on annual and long-term plans of other ministries, branches and localities on management of waste to provide sources of funding and necessary conditions, including foreign capital resources, for the ministries, branches and localities to implement the plans on management of waste.

e) The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall work out and propose to the Prime Minister measures to create favorable conditions in term of capital for production establishments to invest in waste treating projects, and in term of import duties and procedures for technological examination of waste-treating machinery and equipment.

f) The People�s Committees of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall have to implement State management regulations on environmental protection in their respective localities, direct their functional agencies in organizing, coordinating with the functional agencies of the central level in working out annual and long-term plans for the management of urban waste and taking measures to help cities, provincial towns and townships well perform their tasks for environmental hygiene.

g) The Ministry of Culture and Information shall direct the dissemination and popularization of legal documents on environmental hygiene control on radio and television programs and newspapers, in order to raise the awareness and sense of responsibility of every citizen about the management of waste.

h) The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall:

- Issue in the second quarter of 1997 guiding circulars and the regulation on the management of waste, the storing and use of noxious matters. Coordinate with the Ministry of Construction in issuing designing norms and standards for waste dumping sites and burying grounds.

- Guide the working out of annual and long-term plans for the management of waste in urban areas and industrial zones of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government, select technologies for treating different kinds of waste.

- Annually review and report to the Government the situation of waste management throughout the country.

For the Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister

NGUYEN KHANH